As many as 47.18 lakh candidates appeared in the direct railway recruitment exams which were held in 13 regional languages, the government informed the Lok Sabha on Wednesday.
Union Minister of State for Railways Suresh Angadi said while 55,209 appeared for the test in regional languages in 2019, 46,62,406 appeared in 2018 and 876 appeared in 2018.
"For examinations for direct recruitment, instructions provide for an option of any of the 15 languages, which include Hindi and English and 13 vernacular languages," he said during Question Hour.
The minister said there is no restriction regarding question papers in local or regional languages for general departmental competitive examination (GDCE).